NFL Playoffs/Early Offseason

[ashbury]

I would feel sorry for the Bears today except they happened to be facing my all-time second favorite* team: "whoever is playing against the Bears."  😁 

 

* okay, tied with "whoever is playing against the Packers."

[Vanimal46]

Buffalo fires their HC. There’s the surprise firing of the season 

[nicksaviking]

26 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Buffalo fires their HC. There’s the surprise firing of the season 

Yeah, seems crazy from a national perspective, but I'm guessing Bills fans are happy about it. 

Outside of having the best QB on the planet, what is that team's identity? McDermott is a defensive head coach, yet that team has never been more than an average defense. They have a QB who can do it all, but they've never had more than one meaningful pass catcher per season, and many times not even one meaningful pass catcher. If they had an average QB instead of Allen, they're probably drafting in the top ten every year.

[Vanimal46]

7 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah, seems crazy from a national perspective, but I'm guessing Bills fans are happy about it. 

Outside of having the best QB on the planet, what is that team's identity? McDermott is a defensive head coach, yet that team has never been more than an average defense. They have a QB who can do it all, but they've never had more than one meaningful pass catcher per season, and many times not even one meaningful pass catcher. If they had an average QB instead of Allen, they're probably drafting in the top ten every year.

It felt like this would be a possibility if they didn’t advance to the Super Bowl. But I probably would have waited another year since this cycle already had 9 HC openings. 

If I’m Stefanski I’m holding off on signing with Atlanta and see if I can coach at Buffalo instead 

[Vanimal46]

I don’t know why NFL organizations barely utilize their ability to trade coaches. McDermott will have a new job by the end of the week… If you’re done with him, why not trade him to a team with an opening? 

[TheLeviathan]

55 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah, seems crazy from a national perspective, but I'm guessing Bills fans are happy about it. 

Outside of having the best QB on the planet, what is that team's identity? McDermott is a defensive head coach, yet that team has never been more than an average defense. They have a QB who can do it all, but they've never had more than one meaningful pass catcher per season, and many times not even one meaningful pass catcher. If they had an average QB instead of Allen, they're probably drafting in the top ten every year.

Reddit sample size that I've seen is mad they fired him and not the GM.

I look at McDermott as a guy who has an all-timer at QB but a pretty bad roster around him.  Elevating that team to a SB contender every year seems like damn good coaching.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

Reddit sample size that I've seen is mad they fired him and not the GM.

I look at McDermott as a guy who has an all-timer at QB but a pretty bad roster around him.  Elevating that team to a SB contender every year seems like damn good coaching.

Yeah, I would have replaced the GM too. Outside of the Diggs trade and drafting James Cook, they don't seem to acquire anyone who's better than average.

But whether they have complete input or they are just good at working with what they've got, the recent DC's who have had success becaming HC's did so because of that side of the ball. Vrabel, Ryans and MacDonald have put together top tier defenses in a short amount of time. McDermott has had way more time and never came close to that level. The Bills D seems more like Todd Bowles and Raheem Morris caliber, and if the Bills didn't have Allen, TB and ATL level of success would likely be their ceiling.

[Vanimal46]

The Buffalo GM evidently has drafted 56 players and only 2 became Pro Bowl caliber players. Kwesi has something to strive for now. Don’t be worse than this guy Beane 

[Danchat]

Dolphins hire Hafley and Titans hire Saleh... not exactly the most inspiring hires there. They're two of the better DCs but Hafley was a run-of-the-mill head coach at Boston College and Saleh's stint with the Jets was about the same as every other coach's with them since Rex Ryan.

Sounds like the Steelers job might be Flores vs McCarthy.

[The Great Hambino]

7 hours ago, Danchat said:

Dolphins hire Hafley and Titans hire Saleh... not exactly the most inspiring hires there. They're two of the better DCs but Hafley was a run-of-the-mill head coach at Boston College and Saleh's stint with the Jets was about the same as every other coach's with them since Rex Ryan.

Sounds like the Steelers job might be Flores vs McCarthy.

I don't think Saleh really got a fair shake in New York with the clown show that was going on around him.  The defense certainly cratered after he left.  I think he's still got a shot to be a good head coach, especially with lessons learned from the first time around.

If that's really where the Steelers' job sits, then it was nice knowing you Flores

I have no opinion of Hafley.  If it weakens a division rival, then cool

[Cap'n Piranha]

On 1/18/2026 at 10:53 AM, Danchat said:

People are talking about how Darnold winning a playoff game is proving the Vikings wrong... frankly, I think it's worse that we passed on Nix for JJM. Nix was the entire Broncos offense with no run game and his defense not exactly doing a great job. Kinda insane how the Broncos won passing the ball on something like 80% of the downs meanwhile you have the Seahawks running the ball at least 60% of the time. 

I have been a anti-Nix guy for a while but he is busting the narratives... when he is allowed to air the ball downfield he is good. The ankle break is a huge blow, they can't run the same offense with Stidham and they'll have to run the ball with their RBs this time. Seattle could probably survive a QB injury given how dominant their defense, run game, and even special teams are.

This of course assumes that nothing changes if the QBs are in swapped places.  I think Payton (much as I dislike him) is quite good at developing QBs.  KOC?  Not so much it would seem.

[TheLeviathan]

I never would have expected a Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel combo.

[nicksaviking]

On 1/20/2026 at 8:06 AM, The Great Hambino said:

I don't think Saleh really got a fair shake in New York with the clown show that was going on around him.  The defense certainly cratered after he left.  I think he's still got a shot to be a good head coach, especially with lessons learned from the first time around.

If that's really where the Steelers' job sits, then it was nice knowing you Flores

I have no opinion of Hafley.  If it weakens a division rival, then cool

Yeah, Salah (and pretty much every other coach) never had a chance with the Jets. So much dysfunction. 

I'm not sure he's not walking into the same situation though. Tennessee did hire a new GM last year, but still, that GM hired and kept an offensive staff including Nick Holz, Bo Hardegree and Mike McCoy who seem to have absolutely no business being in charge of raising a QB you drafted 1.01. I mean there is nothing in their resumes that suggest they are capable of creating a top end franchise QB. They all came from either Jacksonville, where everyone failed Trevor Lawrence for four years, or Las Vegas, which needs no explanation for criticism.

I too don't understand the Hafley love. But I also didn't understand it when the Packers hired him. What exactly did he do at BC? Not win. Not develop NFL talent. GB had a good but not elite defense, which pretty much describes every GB defense for the last 30 years. Also, now Miami will surely be switching from a 3-4 to a 4-2 defense. Not sure that's going to gel with their highest paid player Bradley Chubb and their recent first round pick Chop Robinson. Last year's pick Kenneth Grant should be fine, and I'm guessing their other highly paid vet Zach Sieler can also go inside. But that's a lot of money and draft capital you're risking by switching up the defense.

[Vanimal46]

15 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I never would have expected a Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel combo.

Mike McDaniel must have missed the California grown weed so he's coming back home 

[Vanimal46]

Idk if you guys have seen the Buffalo press conference with the owner and GM Brandon Beane but it doesn't instill any confidence. The owner basically said the decision was made to fire McDermott solely because they lost in Denver. They also claimed Keon Coleman was a forced draft pick by the coaching staff and the GM was a team player who played along with the choice. Wild to say that about a player STILL on your team

[nicksaviking]

14 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I never would have expected a Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel combo.

Yeah, have to think Herbert will like this better than what he's been used to. McDaniel did cut his teeth as a run game coordinator, but I'm pretty sure nobody noticed that Tua Tagovialoa of all people led the league in completion percentage in 2024 and led the league in passing yards in 2023. 

[nicksaviking]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

Idk if you guys have seen the Buffalo press conference with the owner and GM Brandon Beane but it doesn't instill any confidence. The owner basically said the decision was made to fire McDermott solely because they lost in Denver. They also claimed Keon Coleman was a forced draft pick by the coaching staff and the GM was a team player who played along with the choice. Wild to say that about a player STILL on your team

Yeah what a mess. I guess if the head coach was calling the shots on player personnel, then he probably deserved more blame from the fans than he was getting.

Hey, maybe Josh Allen will get fussy and pull a reverse Stefon Diggs with the Vikings!

[Vanimal46]

15 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah what a mess. I guess if the head coach was calling the shots on player personnel, then he probably deserved more blame from the fans than he was getting.

Hey, maybe Josh Allen will get fussy and pull a reverse Stefon Diggs with the Vikings!

The owner is trying to re-write history, but the beauty of the internet is there are receipts! 

 

[Vanimal46]

 

[TheLeviathan]

21 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah, have to think Herbert will like this better than what he's been used to. McDaniel did cut his teeth as a run game coordinator, but I'm pretty sure nobody noticed that Tua Tagovialoa of all people led the league in completion percentage in 2024 and led the league in passing yards in 2023. 

I think his offensive schemes are great.  He got undone by concussions and a bad GM.

I'd hire him in a heartbeat.

[TheLeviathan]

23 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Idk if you guys have seen the Buffalo press conference with the owner and GM Brandon Beane but it doesn't instill any confidence. The owner basically said the decision was made to fire McDermott solely because they lost in Denver. They also claimed Keon Coleman was a forced draft pick by the coaching staff and the GM was a team player who played along with the choice. Wild to say that about a player STILL on your team

It's just example #1 billion that you don't have to be smart to be a billionaire.  

[nicksaviking]

And all of these owners need to start hiring some kind of consigliere or something. Somebody who knows people and football, but has NO hand in hiring people so his or her self interests are never at stake. Someone who knows everyone in the organization, but isn't chummy with them.

A trusted advisor who doesn't have promotional opportunities or a vested interest in proving they made the right decisions would be great insulation to easily swayed owners who would otherwise have to rely on the honesty of team presidents or GMs or coaches who all are looking to either save their jobs or be promoted to more powerful jobs.

[nicksaviking]

9 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

 

Well at least he got one right. The Bills most definitely hit a playoff wall.

[nicksaviking]

8 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I think his offensive schemes are great.  He got undone by concussions and a bad GM.

I'd hire him in a heartbeat.

Yeah, that team really was cratered by the fact that they couldn't play in cold weather. Which seems like a really weird excuse. But, man, the record doesn't lie. I have to think you put that on the GM for not getting the right kind of players.

[The Great Hambino]

26 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I think his offensive schemes are great.  He got undone by concussions and a bad GM.

I'd hire him in a heartbeat.

If there's a criticism of McDaniel's time as a head coach, you could argue that he struggled to build a culture that could weather the storm in tough times - in hindsight, that whole "What cold? We're not cold.  Can't you tell how not cold we are??" debacle in the playoffs in KC looks like an inflection point in the direction of his tenure.

He won't have to be a culture builder at all under Harbaugh.  I think this partnership has a very high ceiling, especially if Slater and Alt can ever manage to be healthy at the same time.

[TheLeviathan]

18 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah, that team really was cratered by the fact that they couldn't play in cold weather. Which seems like a really weird excuse. But, man, the record doesn't lie. I have to think you put that on the GM for not getting the right kind of players.

I think ultimately it came down to the QB, but their talent eroded pretty rapidly over the years.  They took a lot of big, Madden-like swings on players rather than smart, meat and potato type additions.  

McDaniels strikes me as one of the few new-wave young coaches who is still committed to the running game.  He just does an awesome job working people open and mixing up his formations/attack. 

Give him Herbert, a good (healthy?) offensive line, Hampton, and that WR room?  Yeah...I think the Chargers could be dangerous.

[TheLeviathan]

1 minute ago, The Great Hambino said:

If there's a criticism of McDaniel's time as a head coach, you could argue that he struggled to build a culture that could weather the storm in tough times - in hindsight, that whole "What cold? We're not cold.  Can't you tell how not cold we are??" debacle in the playoffs in KC looks like an inflection point in the direction of his tenure.

He won't have to be a culture builder at all under Harbaugh.  I think this partnership has a very high ceiling, especially if Slater and Alt can ever manage to be healthy at the same time.

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts I just posted!  But you make a good point about the culture.  I think he struggled to be a leader of men at the same level he was a play caller and schemer.  

He seemed well liked, but maybe too well liked.  Harbaugh has that on lock down...what he needs is somebody that can make the offense go.  Like you said....the ceiling of that offense with his mind is scary.  Like "early favorite for futures bets I'm going to place on their upside" scary.

[gunnarthor]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Idk if you guys have seen the Buffalo press conference with the owner and GM Brandon Beane but it doesn't instill any confidence. The owner basically said the decision was made to fire McDermott solely because they lost in Denver. They also claimed Keon Coleman was a forced draft pick by the coaching staff and the GM was a team player who played along with the choice. Wild to say that about a player STILL on your team

Huge mess. I think when the FO and the coaching staff aren't on the same page, your team is doomed. You have to move off and chose one. Might have been better for Buffalo to move off of both. 

[Vanimal46]

56 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Huge mess. I think when the FO and the coaching staff aren't on the same page, your team is doomed. You have to move off and chose one. Might have been better for Buffalo to move off of both. 

I can only imagine Keon Coleman waking up today early in the offseason. Looking at his phone and finding out the owner of the team he’s on and the GM throwing him under the bus like that. It’s gonna be real awkward when he passes one of them in the hallway. 

[TheLeviathan]

So we're openly ripping Beane (and rightfully so) for being a bad GM, but under his watch the drafts have looked like this:

2022 (Picking 23)- Kair Elam (bust), James Cooks (Massive hit), Terrel Bernard (solid hit), Khalil Shakir (5th round great hit), Christian Benford (solid)

2023 (Picking 25) - Kincaid (Overdrafted, but a contributor), Torrence (solid starting guard), Dorian Williams (bust)

2024 - (Picking 30th) Bust City - Coleman, Bishop, Carter, etc.

2025 - (Picking 30th) TBD but lots of guys they played.  Not sure any are hits or busts yet.

When you compare that to KAM drafting 11th, 23rd, 12th, and 24th

We walked away with only Addison, Reichard, Turner, Nailor, Ward, McCarthy and our own slate of TBDs.

I mean....I trade that group for the Bills group 10 out of 10 times.  I might have a harder call if Addison knew how to go to bed after 1am or if Turner completes his upswing....but right now?  Easy call that the Bills drafted better despite being 10 rungs lower in the draft most years.